Sales Skills Best Taught on Job, Not in Class
TEC Worldwide is an international organization of more than 7,000 business owners, company presidents and CEOs. TEC members meet in small peer groups to share their business experiences and help one another solve problems. The following questions and answers are based on recent TEC meetings in Southern California.
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Q: Twice a year I send my sales staff to a very expensive training workshop. They come back fired up, but nothing seems to change. I believe in training, but I don’t seem to be getting my money’s worth. Any suggestions?
A: Most sales pros would agree the best sales training takes place in the field, not in the classroom, and is conducted by the chief executive and/or the sales manager, not by outside trainers who don’t know the company or its customers. Jack Daly, CEO of Professional Sales Coach in La Jolla, Calif., recommends three types of in-person sales calls to boost the performance of your sales staff.
In the joint call, you and a salesperson participate equally. As a team, you make the sales presentation, respond to the customer’s questions and objections and try to close the sale. Afterward, you jointly review what worked well, what didn’t and what you would do differently the next time.
In the training call, you deliver the presentation while the salesperson observes. Afterward, the salesperson critiques your performance.
In the coaching call, the salesperson makes the sales pitch while you observe. Instead of debriefing immediately after the call, however, wait until the end of the day and then critique the employee’s overall performance. Coaching calls often can lead to dramatic improvements in performance, but it can be hard to sit back and watch the salesperson make mistakes, particularly when those mistakes lead to a lost sale. However, by stepping in and taking over the call, not only do you defeat the purpose of the training, you could permanently damage the salesperson’s self-confidence.
When observing a coaching call, ask yourself questions such as: Is the salesperson adequately prepared for this call? Does he really listen to the customer? Does he problem-solve with the customer or just deliver a canned pitch about the product or service? Does he ask for the client’s business, if appropriate? Make notes as the day progresses and remember to hold your feedback until after the final call. Give the positive feedback first, then offer suggestions for improvement. Conclude with one thing you really want the salesperson to do differently.
To assess how well the salesperson prepares, ask questions as you drive from one appointment to another. What is our purpose on the next call? What is the value of the account? Who is the key decision maker? What is his or her greatest need? How much of their business do we have? What is our strategy for obtaining more?
Coach in the field at least once a quarter and raise the bar for all your salespeople. Make ongoing coaching a condition of working for you. Salespeople may not enjoy coaching, but the winners will welcome the opportunity to improve their skills.
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Q: I’m considering offering some of our products for sale on our Web site, but I’m worried about security issues. What are the risks involved in online transactions and what actions can I take?
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A: From your point of view, security may be the primary issue. However, visitors to your site will also expect you to address the issue of privacy. Security has to do with protecting sensitive information (credit card numbers, customer lists, etc.) from online theft. Privacy has to do with how you handle personal information. When visitors to your site provide their names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, they need to know that you won’t sell or give that information to anyone else.
To guard against information theft and help your online customers feel comfortable doing business with you, Terry Schulenburg, president of Master Designs in South Barrington, Ill., recommends the following:
* Store all sensitive information on a separate server that connects directly to your Web server. This creates a firewall should any hackers manage to break into your Web server.
* Put a security and privacy statement on your home page that explains what measures your firm is taking to safeguard information you receive through the site. To build confidence in the minds of online customers, include an “About Us” section that explains who you are as a company, what you do and how long you have been in business.
* Out-source your online transactions (including credit card verification and information storage) to vendors who specialize in those activities.
* Use passwords to protect specific pages and sections of your Web site.
* Offer offline payment alternatives. No matter what you do, some customers will never trust online transactions. To keep from losing their business, offer more traditional payment options, such as an 800 number.
Even with all these precautions, you should have a third party audit the security of your site and your computer systems in general. These services may seem expensive, but compared with the cost of someone breaking into your system and stealing valuable information, they’re a bargain.
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If there is a business issue you would like addressed in this column, contact TEC at (800) 274-2367, Ext. 3177. To learn more about TEC, visit https://www.teconline.com.
